


The Man From the Future

by Lunarium



Category: A Redtail's Dream (Webcomic), Stand Still Stay Silent
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-09-17 15:10:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9330893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarium/pseuds/Lunarium
Summary: A hallway leads Mikkel to a very different area of the library, many years back and in another part of the world.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LooNEY_DAC](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LooNEY_DAC/gifts).



> I could not resist the idea of writing a meeting between Mikkel and Paju!

The long hall promised to take Mikkel to another area of the university’s library ripe with entire rows of valuable books. They were lucky to find this library void of any trolls; perhaps they were all converging around in the now-defunct cafeteria, but in any case, if Mikkel had as much luck in this ward as here, they would have access to the sciences and some information about other parts of the world, if he was following the Dewey system right. 

But when he crossed the hall, he felt a strange tingle pass over him as though he had just trespassed some invisible mark. Furrowing his eyebrows, he glanced about himself, so confused that he hardly had the time to admire how clean and new the books around him appeared. 

A voice caught his attention—a disgruntled scream as a young woman came stomping towards him, pointing and raging angrily. She was not a troll by any means. Her cheeks were rosy; in fact, they were very red at this moment. Whatever Mikkel had done, he had highly offended her. 

“I am sorry, I do not understand a lick of Finnish save for words of profanity, and I do think it is wise to exchange those upon first meeting,” he said in a dour manner while wearing a tiny smirk. 

The lady took a half-step back. 

“Danish!” she said and proudly set her shoulders. “I am fluent in Danish! I studied it since secondary school, and I was an exchange student for one semester in Copenhagen.” 

“Oh! Well, lucky me, then.” He didn’t feel lucky at all. 

Mikkel quickly glanced over his shoulder but there was no sight of the rest of his crew. Where were they? How did he get stuck talking to this crazy Finnish woman? 

“My name is Paju Kinnunen, and as I was saying— _wipe those boots off before coming in here, they’re dirty—argh!—and why the hell are you dressed like this?!_ ” 

“Am I in a Finnish library?” 

“Of course you are? Did you get bonked on the head?” 

Mikkel drew a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes. Was this some mage’s attempt at a poor joke? And could they not have spent their energy at something better than having their unsuspecting victim travel across lands and through time? Mikkel had not signed up for this. 

_It is strictly due to absurdities such as this that I refuse to be a believer!_ Mikkel thought. But in any case, why not indulge in a little bit of fun? He regarded Paju for a few moments before responding. 

“‘Bonked on the head?’ No, dear Paju. And I have very good reason to be dressed like this.” 

Paju folded her arms. “Then let me hear it.” 

“Well, I am from the future!” He threw out his arms in a dramatic manner. The young woman’s eyes widened for the briefest moment before giving him a one-eyebrow-raised look. 

“Future? Is this a joke?” 

“It is not, I’m afraid. The mud that offends you so is mixed with the blood of trolls and giants which I must fight day after day in a brutal never-ending war.” 

“Trolls? Giants? Get real! This is the biggest sack of bull I ever heard.” She turned on her heel, but Mikkel was ready. 

“They were once human, these monsters you mock,” he said in a haunted tone that made her pause and look back. “A brother of mine also fell to a similar fate. They live in eternal agony, existing but not wholly alive, until they are met with the mercy of fire or axe. But one must be careful not to get too close or get touched by them or they may find themselves doomed by similar fate.” 

A gasp escaped Paju, and Mikkel thought he heard her mutter to herself, “Zombie apocalypse!” Whatever that was. 

He moved in for the kill. 

“It began with a contagious airborne skin illness which had spread throughout the world within a month. This happened many years ago. I was not even born then. Copenhagen was still the capital of Denmark, I believe, yes? It was a very full world, from what my grandparents tell me. Vibrant. Beautiful. And then one by one the cities around the world went out. Entire blocks of humanity—all gone overnight!”

Paju was frowning. He wasn’t sure if she fully believed him, but she didn’t make any attempts to stop him either, and that was good. 

“Your town by my time may be mostly deserted. If you have survived this epidemic, your children’s children’s children may be living well in secluded settlements, protected by magic and your Finnish gods—” 

“Magic and Finnish g—Hannu! This is all Hannu’s doing, I just know it! Nothing was the same around here after that night!” 

Mikkel nodded his head solemnly. Whatever would make her believe. “May be Hannu’s doing. You may be living in peace under his protection, but know this! A very few people survived after the illness spread.” 

“Very few?” 

Mikkel nodded again. “I came here looking for artifacts. I know nothing of the old world.” 

Paju stared off into a spot far away. “I’m…likely going to die? I mean…you’re here! You have troll and giant scum on you! I’m going to get infected! Oh God, _I’m_ going to spread the disease to everyone!” 

It was too easy, but Mikkel kept his face impassive. “Oh, dear. I did not think this is how it might have all begun—because a man from the future brought the illness to the world!”

Paju took a step back, breathing heavily. Tears teemed in her eyes. “Oh, gods!” 

“It begins with feeling warmth in your cheeks.” 

Paju’s hands shot up instantly to her face, and her eyes widened. “Oh—no, _no!_ They _are_ warm!” 

“And then the face falls off. And then death comes.” 

“NO! Hannu, this is all your mess, I just know it! I’m going to throttle him before my face falls off!” 

Mikkel chuckled to himself as he watched her storm away in half-tears.

“Death comes for us all eventually,” he mumbled to himself as he turned back and studied the hallway. “You’ll live. Now, how to get back to the others…”


End file.
